” The pundit class and the GOP establishment currently are engaged in massive “concern trolling” over the possibility that Republican voters will elect conservatives in party primaries. Karl Rove, the US Chamber of Commerce and other special interests have vowed to spend whatever it takes to prevent citizens from nominating the “wrong” candidates. Setting aside the conceit that these interests know better than voters who should represent them, are these concerns even valid?

So, even accepting the tenuous argument that the “tea party” cost the Republicans 3-5 seats, the GOP establishment lost 11. One could easily argue that the Tea Party needs to step-up its involvement in primaries to prevent the Republican party from continuing to nominate “moderate” candidates who can’t win. The last two GOP presidential nominees have been “electable moderates” who so failed to inspire actual voters that they lost very winnable races.

The entire argument against the “Tea Party” from the GOP establishment is an attempt to excuse their unbelievable failure in 2012. The Republicans squandered more than $1 billion on the most winnable Presidential race in modern history. They had a deep slate of “electable” Senate candidates who all went down to defeat. Rather than accepting responsibility for their failure, GOP consultants are pointing fingers at conservatives, trying to distract the attention of their donors. Malpractice is too mild a word for their performance in 2012. ‘